1 Month 100-Word Challenge
by 2short4astormtrooper
Summary: A bunch of 100-word drabbles which a friend challenged me to write over October 2019, using the Inktober prompts. I'm doing one every day to help me prep for NaNoWriMo. Also posted on Wattpad and AO3.
1. October 1st: Ring

As a child, Leia had thought her wedding ring would be ornate, sparkling and heavy with jewels like her mother's. It had never been what she wanted, but it was something of a tradition for the royal family—at least, that's what her aunts had told her. This wasn't what they would have wanted, she thought, twisting the simple silver band on her finger. But when had she ever done what they'd wanted? Leia allowed herself a small smile as she imagined what her aunts would have thought of Princess Leia Organa of the Royal House of Alderaan marrying a smuggler.


	2. October 2nd: Mindless

_The following is a transcript of a statement made by former Imperial trooper, TK-2401_

TK-2401: I should start with my name. My name… I don't remember my name. My operating number was TK-2401. I was a trooper for 7 years, and I was reconditioned four times in my first four months of service, which is too many for a stormtrooper. I think it did something to me. The reconditioning changes your brain and how you think. I think… I lost my humanity, any part of me more than white armour and a number. I was nameless, mindless, and I can't remember…


	3. October 3rd: Bait

_"Vader's set a trap for him."_

_"And we're the bait."_

The world blurred and shifted—again—and Leia snapped _sit down, Han, you've got a concussion_ but how could he sit here when this was all his _kriffing_ fault. He'd gambled with all he had—his ship, his best friend, his lover. Han lost. Lando and Vader won. "Leia, I—" She pushed him onto a seat, stopping his pacing.

"Sit down."

"We've got to escape, we've got to run. You heard him, we're just the bait. Luke's the real prize and we can't let him be caught."

Leia was silent. "How?" she asked.


	4. October 4th: Freeze

And in that moment, all the things he should have said—too many of them—hang in the air between them—so many things—now he'll never get a chance to say any of them—_I love you, too_ and _you paid your debt a hundred times, Chewie, _and _I would do anything to stay_ and _I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry._ But down, down, into the chamber he goes and if speaks now his voice will shake and if these are his last words—and then cold cold cold, in his bones and his heart and his soul, he can see the stars and they—


	5. October 5th: Build

It's much easier to tear a government down than it is to build one. Destabilising your enemies is always simpler than stopping your own fall, regaining your tenuous hold on the ladder of political power and starting to climb. There is no easy way to piece a shattered galaxy back together, to build a democracy from the smallest scraps. But piece by piece, against all odds, the New Republic rose. Change was unrelenting at first. As time wore on, old heroes passed down medals to a new generation. Change became slower, erasing the Empire's legacy like flowing water against stone.


	6. October 6th: Husky

"I—" Luke coughed "Hate being sick." His voice was scratchy and rough, in danger of disappearing.

"It's going around the base—Rieekan thinks it's because nobody's used to the cold yet," said Leia. "I got it last week."

"No, you didn't! You sounded just the same as usual."

"I was sick, I just know how to hide it."

"Okay."

**A/N: I can't describe how stuck I am on this. I've got a splitting headache, 15 minutes left to finish this and I started writing something about the dog breed and then I realised this wasn't set on Earth...**

**My challenge to you is to write a 100-word drabble set ****_in the Star Wars universe_**** with the prompt husky. Leave it here as a review if you feel like it. Good luck, and may the Force be with you ****you're going to need it**


	7. October 7th: Enchanted

_"Well, well. Captain Solo's finally found a cause to back. And, apparently, a conscience."_

_"I'd join you, but I'm not really a fan of suicide missions. You've probably bet on worse odds, but y'can't cheat death. This isn't sabaac."_

_"Congratulations… I think."_

_"The rebels are bad news, Solo. Once they talk you into something, you can't say no. It's like they've got you under a spell."_

Under a spell or not… there was no reason he couldn't stay with the rebels just for a bit. They needed half-decent pilots, and what about the Princess? Now, that was an enchanting idea…

**A/N: Sorry, I meant to post this yesterday but we've been having problems with our wifi.**


	8. October 8th: Frail

"_Frail_?"

Oh, sithspit. Still, no use backing down now. "I was only saying, General, that your injury might—"

"Out of my way, Captain Dameron." General Organa's expression was determined enough for Poe to step aside quietly. "Find R2-D2 or Chewbacca, they know the _Falcon_."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Frail. Hah." If anything here was frail it was this ship. This damn ship. Chewie and this old, battered bucket-of-bolts ship had saved their lives again. How many times, now? The Death Star—twice—and Hoth, Bespin, Endor and countless other battles. _Thank you, Han._


	9. October 9th: Swing

There had been a swing, Leia remembered, on Alderaan. Deep in the gardens of the summer palace, hanging from a branch of a great twisted tree. Sometimes she would sit and swing slowly in the shade, reading through datawork or the occasional holonovel. She had loved that swing, and so had her mother. The swing had been there for longer than either of them could remember; even Leia's grandmother couldn't remember who had hung it. She'd never tried to climb the tree to the branch the swing hung from—it was something she hadn't even considered until it was too late.


	10. October 10th: Pattern

This pattern, this stupid, stupid pattern was the worst thing about Han Solo. Every conversation seemed to loop back to here.

"I don't care what you say—"

"No. Shut it, Princess, and listen. High Command are fool—"

"They'll kick you out! If you don't say something, anything at all to defend yourself, you'll have to leave."

"You wouldn't want that, would you."

"No, I wouldn't!" Leia snapped, caught on Han's sarcasm, not noticing—

"You admit it?"

"What?"

"You care whether I stay or not."

"I didn't say that!"

The pattern—but damn it, she'd put up with it if he'd stay.

**A/N: Good news first: thank you to people who have left reviews, you guys help me keep writing. **

**Unfortunately, I won't be able to post for the next three days due to personal commitments (I'm going to be out of cell service). You should get the 11th, 12th and 13th all on the 14th, although there's a possibility I won't be able to post then either (if that's the case, you'll get all four days on the 15th). Updates should be normal after that :)**


	11. October 11th: Snow

It was quiet inside Echo Base. Now that night was beginning to fall—_it's cold, too cold outside_—many of the personnel were turning in. That left Leia standing in the hangar bay, alone with her troubled thoughts. Fitting, given the storm outside. Goddess only knew where Chewbacca was—probably fixing the Falcon for when—_if, he's an if and it's my fault_—Han got back. Outside, snow whirled in the wind like icy blades, cutting freezing air into tiny pieces—_Han and Luke might be tiny pieces; food for some monster… if they're not dead from exposure._ This was going to be a long night.

**A/N: I'm back in cell service! The 12th and 13th will be posted soon.**


	12. October 12th: Dragon

_There's a Tatooine fable about a kair'zar—a rock lizard—who wanted to fly. He trained and trained and even stopped hibernating with the rest of the kair'zar. It was worth it; his wings got stronger and one day he flew. Soon he could circle the planet without touching down. They called him the Kair'zar Dragon, and say he loved the suns so much he learned to breathe fire. But he was tired. The sand called him home, and he hibernated for thousands of years, only to wake in the galaxy's time of need. _

"Dragon Squadron, form up!" _That time is now._


	13. October 13th: Ash

Coruscant has fallen. The sky is grey and ash is falling like rain. The battle is over, and yet has just begun—what comes next? For what feels like the first time in years, there is true hope for the galaxy's future.

The Alliance's High Command stands on the steps of the Imperial Palace and watches the easternmost tower burn. "General Solo."

"Yes?" Han takes the proffered datapad and turns to the aide who has spoken.

"All units have reported back, except one."

"Which one?" The aide swallows and doesn't answer; Han's heart drops. _No_. "Which one, Dael?"

"Unit Twelve."

_Leia_.


	14. October 14th: Overgrown

Luke felt life all around him, glowing with the Force. He saw snakes and strange lizards, nothing like the ones on Tatooine. The trees drooped, heavy with vines that hung down and blocked his progress through the undergrowth. This cold, damp jungle was alien, unlike anything he'd ever seen. But there was a tug in his mind, saying _you know this place,_ whispering _you are home._ Even with little training, he knew the Force was strong here.

Something croaked in the trees above Luke, startling him out of his thoughts. "Come on, R2. We have a Jedi Master to find."


	15. October 15th: Legend

There is a time when heroes pass from reality into legend. It may happen before their death, or maybe decades later, but always, _always_, it happens.

The wounds the Empire left in the fabric of the galaxy had almost healed by the time the New Republic's founders became legend. A new generation had come and gone, and all those heroes—scoundrels, pilots, and royalty alike—had crossed the divide between life and death. The villains became creatures of myth, stories told around a campfire, and the heroes… the heroes shone like stars, standing bravely against the dark, dark galaxy of their time.


	16. October 16th: Wild

Leia couldn't breathe. Maybe she could blame it on the atmosphere here, slightly thinner than Alderaan—_don't think about that_—but she'd only be fooling herself. Of all the places to run in this state of mind, why had she chosen the forest? A branch grabbed at her shoulder and she spun, gasping for breath, reaching for a blaster that wasn't there, eyes wild, but there was nothing to see, just endless, tangled forest. Finally standing still, she noticed the scrape on her arm from when she'd run from the Command Centre—_damn it damn it damn it_. She still couldn't catch her breath.


	17. October 18th: Misfit

Han was starting to understand how Chewie felt when they stopped at a port where most of the inhabitants were human. "Kid, I don't fit in here."

"What do you mean? You're a pilot, same as all of us." Luke said, waving vaguely around the empty hangar.

"You know what I mean. You're all here 'cause you believe in this, and I'm just in it for the money."

"You say that a lot." There was no accusation in Luke's voice. "But I don't think you believe it. There plenty more profitable businesses—I don't think you're just here for money anymore."

**A/N: Ahhhhhhh I know I missed a day but we have exams soon and I'm studying crazily. I'm hoping to get day 17 written and posted soon.**


	18. October 19th: Sling

Leia winced as Han tied her sling and pulled her injured arm across her chest. His fingers brushed the back of her neck as he finished the knot, her loose hair catching the calluses on his hands.

"This should've been treated hours ago," the medic said. "Here."

Leia turned down the shock meds they offered her. "Give those to someone who needs them. I'm fine." Keros didn't look happy but walked away.

"Why do you do that?" Han asked, turning Leia to face him.

"Do what?"

"Turn down meds. There's no reason you can't take them, you know."

"I know."


	19. October 20th: Tread

She's somehow—accidentally, she swears—memorised the way Han walks, and that is _infuriating_, and now she can't ignore him anymore. Not that she ever really could, but now he passes her in the halls or walks into the Command Centre, and the pattern of his footsteps are enough to make him into a capital-P Presence, and that is _infuriating_, because he seems to be everywhere. He paces through her mind far too many times a day, saunters, smirking, into her dreams. Leia thanks some higher power that he has yet to find his way into her nightmares—at least someone is safe.


	20. October 20th: Treasure

They should have stayed to clean up, but Han needed a better medikit—and medic—than the Falcon could provide, and Luke said he had somewhere to be. So they set off without much more than a second glance at Jabba's near-deserted palace, leaving the wreckage of his sail barge to disintegrate in the desert. Nobody really wanted to return, anyway.

Soon enough, rumours began to spread, flitting through the desert like moths, that the palace held enough riches to keep someone in comfort for several lifetimes. And it was probably just as much bantha crap, but then… what if it wasn't?


	21. October 22nd: Ghost

The blaster is in Leia's hand before she realises it will be of no use. The figure across from her shimmers unworldly blue, not a hologram, but something more. She knows who stands in her bedroom, uninvited, unwanted, feared, and so she fires anyway. The blaster bolt flies through where his heart should be—it was a good shot for someone who had just awoken—and the wall behind him splinters. "_Monster_," she spits, with hate and fear in her eyes—those eyes _so much_ like hers—and Anakin's heart, undamaged by the blaster shot, breaks, and all he can say is— "I'm sorry."


	22. October 23rd: Ancient

Some said the Jedi Temple reflected the mood of the galaxy, that if the halls were brightly lit and welcoming, the galaxy was flourishing. What would they make of its abandonment?

It is the oldest part of Coruscant by far. Legend says it has been here since before humans knew of other lifeforms; before they took their first steps into the void of space.

Walk the halls today and the most noticeable thing is the dust, and the graffiti from local vandals. It feels uncertain, future hanging by a thread. Maybe it reflects the rest of the galaxy after all.


	23. October 24th: Dizzy

"Han, are you alright? You don't look so good."

"Yeah, I'm… I'm fine," he lied, ignoring the fact that the Falcon's cockpit spun around him. So he wasn't completely steady on his feet—at least he'd managed to lose whoever was shooting at them. "That was some hit we took." He couldn't quite see Leia's face (the world seemed to be pixelating like a cheap holo) but she sounded bewildered.

"What hit? I didn't notice anything…" Now her voice had a metallic ring, and the buzz in his ears was getting louder every second. "Han! Han, you're going to—"

He collapsed.


	24. October 25th: Tasty

"I haven't eaten this much in ages," Luke grinned. "You never said the food was _good_!"

"I guess I didn't." Leia paused. She'd never considered their rations anything more than a minor annoyance; something to put up with until she could return home for a proper meal. Alliance food certainly wasn't _good_—flavour seemed to be a luxury they couldn't afford. But if she'd been a farmer from Tatooine instead of Princess of Alderaan, she might have thought differently about a lot of things. She poked at her meal for the third time in three minutes. "It must've slipped my mind."


	25. October 26th: Dark

The most unnerving thing about Vader was the darkness that surrounded him. Nobody could see it, but the feeling was enough. That feeling of impending death had settled around the ship like some murderous black nebula, consuming, unsettling the crew and scaring the troops, making it awfully difficult for Jerjerrod to keep any composure.

But the Emperor's presence was worse, so much worse. If Vader's darkness consumed, the Emperor's devoured, everywhere at once, inside his head, wrapping around his bones and taking control, shattering Jerjerrod's confidence before he'd even opened his mouth. This would be his first and only chance.


	26. October 27th: Coat

How did she get here? What events led Leia to be sitting, laughing, in a known smuggler's ship? Stories around a _scoundrel's_ holochess table, wrapped in his coat, no less! _Goddess_. She should probably leave, she knows, head back to the rest of the base before it gets any darker. But Han's coat is warm, and if she's honest she enjoys whatever this is; she likes his jokes and his grin and his stories, and so she pulls the snow jacket a bit tighter around her shoulders and hopes that maybe, _maybe_ this will work out alright in the end.


	27. October 28th: Ride

"This is nice."

"Shut up."

"What? It's a romantic speederbike ride through—"

"Shut _up_." Leia took another shot at the stormtroopers chasing them. It glanced off one of the trooper's stabilisers, sending them into a spin.

"—back alleys of—" Their pursuers had regained their course and one of them— "Oh, kriff, is that a lightsaber—" Han swerved hard left and for a second Leia's head was a centim from the alley's narrow walls. She grabbed at Han's shirt in a desperate attempt to keep her balance, and he winced as her nails dug into his side. This couldn't end well.


	28. October 29th: Injured

It didn't end well, but it could have been much worse. They were just around the corner from the Falcon's landing pad when Han felt searing pain in his side, a blaster bolt grazing his ribs. He gasped, tightening his grip on the speederbike's handles and trying to keep control of the bike as he took the corner too sharply.

Han's knees buckled as he stepped off the bike. Leia grabbed his shoulder, and—he didn't remember much after that: Leia said he'd passed out after making to jump to hyperspace. Well, it could've been worse—it could _always_ have been worse.

**A/N: Does this continue Ride? Yes. Is that cheating? Probably. But we have an exam tomorrow and I should be studying, so it's just going to be continued.**


End file.
